North Carolina Chess Association

38th North Carolina Scholastic Chess Championships

February 27-28 Koury Convention Center Greensboro, NC

The next big event in North Carolina Chess is on the horizon…the 38th running of the State Scholastics. This event will be held at the spiffy Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. The venue is great and the central location of Greensboro makes this event very accessible to all in NC.

This event is traditionally the largest chess event in North Carolina. Last year a record 507 turned out in Charlotte. And that’s just the players. Along with those players comes many parents and coaches. A good many of the top players in NC will be a part of this event in some form or fashion.

The weekend starts with the traditional blitz tourney on Friday night the 26th. Come early and get in the chess spirit for the weekend ahead. Then of course there’s the main event on Saturday and Sunday. Between rounds players can stop by the bookstore, which will be put on by Thad Rogers and American Chess Promotions. Need a new set, kids? Save up your money and pick out what you want in person. There will also be plenty of books on hand if you need to find something to help you sharpen your game. Also, MyChessPhotos.com will be on hand to do portraits of the kids. They do a great job so make sure you check them out. And if you want to play a North Carolina Chess legend, enter the simul where you will get a chance to play FIDE master Michael Klein after the Saturday night round.

This year’s location is ideal for the chess parent. At some of the scholastic tourneys, there is nothing better to do than to sit around in the hallway all weekend. Not the case here, my friends. As you can see by the link to the Koury Center, this is a full service venue with a comfortable ambiance, restaurants and shops. And better yet, it is located very close to shopping. In fact it is on the same property as the Four Seasons Mall..one of the biggest shopping centers in North Carolina!

In the top section the contestants are battling for not only the title, but a $1500 scholarship to the college of their choice (provided by the NCCA). Also, first place gets some expense money to attend the very prestigious Denker Tournament of High School Champions, which takes place concurrently with the US Open in August. Last year’s champion David High of Chapel Hill will be back for more and will be one of the favorites to repeat, along with the state’s highest rated scholastic player, Expert Dominique Myers of Charlotte and a host of other 1900+ contestants. But this is a very competitive event and sometimes a player comes out of the pack to contend for the title. Kids improve quickly and their current ratings sometimes have not caught up with their true strength. Who will be this year’s dark horse contender? Come to the Koury Center and find out. It may be you!

Gary Newsom
NCCA President

What's New

We need feedback on Google Docs. Is anyone having trouble accessing them? I'm especially interested to learn whether Google Docs are being blocked at your job. Send email to the webmaster or post a message in the forum.

There is no Polgar Invitational this year. As a result, the NCCA is offering a $500 scholarship to the winner of the Girls State Championships, March 27th.

NCCA Board of Directors meeting minutes January 30, 2010.

Walter High has created a Google Spreadsheet rating list for scholastic players rated over 1200. He would like help with missing grades and student's ratings.

Jeff Jones is keeping a list of pre-registered players for the North Carolina State Scholastics.

Fun facts about the State Scholastics

**David High has a chance to place himself in an elite group of players who have won the Scholastics on multiple occasions. The others who have accomplished this feat are: Alan Cooley, John Kirby, David Schmidt, Frankie Newton, Kevin Dupuis, Matt Hoekstra and Nelson Lopez II, who have each won twice. Mark Seawell and Daniel Tapia each have three titles. Michael Klein has won or tied for 1st a record five times!

**Twelve players who have won this event have gone on to achieve at least the master title. Those players are: Greg Samsa. Rex Demers, Alan Cooley, Kevin Kirby, John Kirby, Frankie Newton, Matt Noble,, Michael Klein, Matt Hoekstra, Nelson Lopez II, Justin Daniel, and Daniel Tapia.

**Of those twelve, two have gone on to the International title of FM: Michael Klein and Matt Hoekstra. One has gone on to the International title of IM: Daniel Tapia.

**One former champion, Greg Samsa, now has a place in the NC Chess Hall of Fame!

**One player, Nelson Lopez II, went on to win the Denker Tournament of Champions.

**Joshua Mu has an opportunity (and he will have more than one chance at this) to do something no one else in history has ever accomplished. If he wins the K-12 outright, he will have won clear first in all four sections of this event during his scholastic chess career. One person, Dan McCready, accomplished this, but only tied for 1st in three out of four of the events.

Gary Newsom
NCCA President